


What Comes Next

by rainydayadvocate



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Shattered Empire
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 08:56:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13120413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainydayadvocate/pseuds/rainydayadvocate
Summary: With no desire to leave the Endor moon on an Imperial craft, Han and Chewie take back command of the Falcon, and take part of the Rebel team back to the fleet rendezvous. Unfortunately, the Falcon's hyperdrive is still having problems. At least Han and Leia find a way to pass the time—even if they keep getting interrupted.





	What Comes Next

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ljparis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ljparis/gifts).



> This is set in the middle of the Shattered Empire comic book, between Parts I and II. Knowledge of the comic is not necessary to enjoy this fic.

When the _Millennium Falcon_ came out of hyperspace in the middle of—well, nowhere—Leia leaned forward and poked Han on the shoulder. “I may be wrong, but I thought the plan was to rendezvous with _Home One_ at Muster Point: Vergence.”

“That was the plan last time I heard it,” Han said, leaning back with a sigh and shrug. “I don’t understand why no one can fix this hyperdrive. And we can’t blame me. I haven’t been flying her the last six months.” He spun his chair around to face her. “Does that make a broken hyperdrive your responsibility?”

“Mine?” Leia said, shaking her head. “I don’t think so, fly boy. I’ve been running covert operations and stowing away on Imperial shuttles. I’m pretty sure this is still Lando’s fault.”

“Speaking of Lando…” Han frowned. “Did he leave Endor with us? Or did we leave without him?”

Chewie muttered something about purposefully leaving him, but Han didn’t seem to hear him. Leia grinned at their co-pilot. “To the engine room?” she asked, facing Han again.

“Yeah. To the engine room.”

Truth be told, Leia wouldn’t have minded a little floating in space. Everything since Bespin had felt like a blur. While she appreciated the Alliance leader summit on Zastiga, and Operation Yellow Moon, both helpful means in keeping her mind off Han’s carbonite fate and whereabouts, they had been exhausting. Add Han’s rescue on top of that, not to mention the Battle of Endor and the few _minor_ familial revelations she’d had in the last two days, some time to relax felt well earned.

Besides, the last time she was stranded in space on a broken _Falcon_ , she had not taken full advantage of the situation. If they could manage to be stranded again, she would not make that same mistake.

They passed through the lounge together and Leia stopped in her tracks. She knew they had volunteered to help with the evacuation of the Endor moon, but had they actually volunteered to take a full ship’s worth?

Over a dozen heads turned to face them.

Han distracted them with his best crooked grin and put a hand gently at Leia’s back. “Nothing to worry about. I’m sure something came loose, that’s all.”

“What if we’re stuck with only our starlight engines? That has happened recently, as I recall,” someone dared from behind the dejarik table. “I hope there’s enough food and holos to keep us entertained that long.”

Leia focused on who had said it and she threw a glare at Wedge. “Why aren’t you in your X-wing?”

“Luke took it. I’d like to point out we’d already be there in my X-wing.”

“We’ll be there soon, Antilles. Don’t get your helmet bent out of the shape. For what it’s worth, my reading material is in the cabinet above you.” Han steered Leia out of the lounge and down around the corner into the main engine room. As they left, at least three pilots clamored onto the dejarik table in search of holonovels of questionable taste.

“Do I want to know what you’ve got up there?”

Han chuckled. “I don’t even know what is up there. For all I know, someone trashed all the risqué holos and replaced them with some sacred text.” He entered the security code on the engine bay crawl space and the narrow door slid into the wall. Han’s hand pressed lightly into the middle of her back, the touch of his fingers so light they sent a shiver up her spine. “You scoot in first. You fit back there better than I do.”

Leia looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. “I’ve seen you fit back there just fine.”

“Leia, please?”

Leia sighed and slid into the crawl space. She paused where they’d shared their first kiss. It had been less than a year before, but it felt like a lifetime ago. Her hand lingered on that part of the wall too long, long enough that Han’s hand covered it, giving her a light squeeze. Mind growing foggy, she slipped her hand out of his, closer to the hyperdrive itself. Not that she could see it. A steady stream of smoke seeped through the vents from the engine casing below, pooling around their feet. “I think she’s running a little hot.”

“No kidding,” Han said, surprising her with how close he was. He leaned on a circuit box and pulled out his comm. “Chewie, is Artoo here?”

The wookie thought about it for a moment before answering in the affirmative.

“Great. Find him and have him run a diagnostic. There’s smoke and steam in here, but no warning lights. Need to know what’s going on.”

Chewie agreed and the comm went silent. Leia was about to lean down and try and get a better look at the hyperdrive, but a strong hand pulled her back up straight and flush against Han. She sighed at him. “I was going to look at the hyperdrive.”

“And do what with it? Sing it back to life?”

“What? Don’t be ridiculous. But I did want to try and look at it.”

“There’s nothing to look at. She’s smoking and thinks everything is fine. She appears to be confused, and staring into the smoke isn’t going to help.”

His dark eyes focused on her, the hand at her back pressing her closer. The last time she’d been this close to him in this crawl space, she wanted to pull away. She had no such desires today. The gentle brush of his free hand against her cheek raised the hairs on her arms. His soft lips came down to meet hers and she greeted him energetically. One of her hands slipped behind the back of his neck and toyed with the ends of his hair. Smoke rose around them and blocked out the stress and tension, leaving nothing to focus on but Han. And Han was the only thing she wanted to focus on.

She really enjoyed being stranded on the _Falcon_.

Leia wasn’t sure how long they kissed, how long it took her before she pushed him flat to the wall, her hand slipping up under his shirt. She wasn’t sure if she consented to letting him undo her crown braids so they cascaded down her back. And, in that moment, she realized she hadn’t quite processed that she had him back. Han was here, he loved her, she loved him, and they had survived everything the Empire had thrown at them.

Artoo beeped over the comm, followed by a howl of agreement from Chewie. “You’re sure, Artoo? She’s just overheated?” Han was trying to make the question sound genuinely curious, but Leia noticed the grumpy bite to it for causing an interruption.

Artoo confirmed that yes, the hyperdrive was fine, just needed to cool off, and they’d make their second jump without problem.

"All right, great.” Han rubbed his forehead and straightened out his shirt, much to Leia’s disgust because her hand was still fanned on his bare skin. “Chewie, re-chart our course and start trying to boot her up again in ten minutes.”

He clipped the comm back into his shirt pocket and fixed Leia with an indeterminate gaze. 

“What?” she asked, pulling a braid back over her shoulder to play with the ends.

“Nothing,” he said after a moment. His hand rested comfortably at her hip, rubbing down onto her thigh. “Thinking about how beautiful you looked last night. How much an ewok hut and nothing on you but a blanket suited you. The moan you made when I kissed your shoulder blade.”

Leia could feel the blush rise from her neck all the way into her cheeks. “You were more focused than I’ve ever seen you last night.”

“With good reason.” He leaned down to nuzzle his nose against hers. She closed it into a quick kiss. “It’s a shame we won’t be stranded long enough to make use of my cabin,” he whispered.

Leia rolled her eyes. “That excuse you call a bed is not worth it.”

“Hey!”

Someone cleared their throat into the comm and Han grimaced at it. “Yes?” he asked.

“So, uh, I know you two are busy and clearly have plenty to discuss...” started Wedge.

Leia snatched the comm from Han. “You mean you heard—“

“We were all captivated. Better than Han’s pitiful holonovel collection.”

Han swore. “What do you want, Wedge?”

“We’re hungry. Is there food?”

“I don’t know. Probably.”

Leia sighed. “We’ll go check, Wedge. We’ll assess what we have that can be evenly distributed.”

Han mouthed ‘nothing’ at her but she ignored him. “All right,” Wedge said. “Don’t forget to keep your comm on.”

To that, Han grabbed the comm back and flicked it off with exaggerated flare. The groan of disappointment was clearly audible even in the crawl space.

“I guess we’re going to the kitchen,” Han grumbled.

Leia’s stomach rumbled as she extracted herself from him. “I have to admit, a trip to the kitchen doesn’t sound so bad to me.” She left the crawl space with one hand reached out behind her, hoping to coax Han closer. Once back into the main hall of the ship, he walked with one arm around her shoulder.

“There is something I want to ask you,” he said, nudging her closer to his side. “About this whole Luke is your bro—“

Leia cut him off with a hand over his mouth. “No. Not here. Not—yet.”

“But, Leia.” At least, that’s what she thought he said around her hand.

“No. I can’t, Han. Not yet. We can discuss it later.” She wasn’t ready to think about it. To face it. To process it. There were too many other things to do right now. And hopefully she’d be able to distract him in the kitchen again. Things were getting interesting in the crawl space and she’d rather get back to that.

She slid around in front of him and squeezed her way into the kitchen only to be met with … giggles.

On the counter sat a lovely woman with a mess of dark curls, made messier by the man who stood in front of her, his fingers weaved into her hair. He had a strong jaw and the muscular features of a trained armsmen.

Han slid in behind her and folded his arms, leaning in the doorway. “Damerons.”

The woman jumped and leaned into the man, blushing as she turned to face them. “General Solo. Your highness.” Her hand fanned out against the man’s chest and she leaned into him more.

“Leia,” Han said. “In case you haven’t met, meet Kes Dameron and his wife, Shara Bey.”

Leia smiled warmly at the married couple, internally stunned anyone was attempting to nurture a marriage, right now. She glanced at Han and, while she’d hated losing him for months, the idea of marrying him right now made her blood run cold. “Yes, of course. Kes, you’re among the Pathfinders. You were on the shuttle with us.”

“Correct, your highness. Glad most of us made it off Endor.”

“So am I. Shara, I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure.” She and Han stepped the rest of the way into the kitchen and Shara hopped off the counter to stand beside her husband.

"No, I suspect we haven’t, your highness. I wasn’t able to join the Alliance on Hoth or in the months leading up to the establishment of the base, as I was very pregnant. All his fault, I’m afraid.” She playfully punched Kes’s shoulder. “An ice world didn’t seem like the greatest environment for an infant.”

“Pregnant?!” Leia said, more surprise in her voice than was appropriate. Not only were they supporting a _marriage_ , but they were raising a _child_ in all of this conflict.

Though, as she got over the shock, Leia realized maybe their fight was exactly why it needed to happen. Once they eradicated the Empire, they had a Republic to build, and they needed a new generation ready to build a new life. Apparently the Damerons were just getting a head start. “Sorry, I mean, that’s wonderful. Where is your little one now? Clearly he did not come to Endor.”

Shara laughed and shook her head. “No. Poe is with family right now, probably feeling quite abandoned. We were just talking about how much more fun sharing war stories with him would be than living them.”

“I think we can all agree with that,” Leia said, thinking back to Threepio’s attempt to give a full narrative to the ewoks two evenings ago. “Hopefully we can re-establish a Republic and Poe won’t have his own war to fight.”

“We can only hope,” Shara agreed.

Han cleared his throat. “We didn’t actually barge in on you to break up your reunion. We have some hungry pilots and pathfinders out there. Or at least, a hungry Wedge Antilles. I don’t suppose you’ve had a look at what we have to eat, have you?”

“I’m not sorry to say that we’ve been busy,” Res said, shamelessly flashing a grin at his wife.

“I don’t blame you,” Han said, opening the refrigeration unit, filling the room with a truly putrid stench. “Shards, what the hell is in here?”

Leia plugged her nose and moved closer, peering around his shoulder. Half of the fridge was taken up by large, gourd-like fruit. Their hard skin was green, red, and yellow. One, cracked open and definitely the source of the smell, exposed a citrus-like flesh underneath. The next shelf down including a crate of grava berries and three leather pouches, probably filled with grava wine.

Kes scooted closer to them, though Leia noted he was careful not to break physical contact with Shara. “A parting gift from the ewoks?”

“I guess you could call it a gift,” Han grumbled, picking up the broken fruit and taking a wedge of fruit out of its shell. He plugged his nose and took a bite, his eyebrows shooting up. “It smells like a dead animal, but it tastes divine. Here.” He scooped the fruit out of its shell and broke the wedges apart, sharing with Leia and the Damerons.

Leia followed Han’s lead and plugged her nose while she ate the fruit. She soured her face until she took a bite of it. Sure enough, it was delicious. A hint of tartness with just the right amount of sweet, the fruit practically melted in your mouth. “I think we have something to keep Wedge quiet.”

“Agreed. Sustenance and torture. I like it.” Han shot her a grin. “I'll carry a case of the fruit. You grab a mallet to open these with and one of those pouches of wine. Then we can leave the Damerons in peace.”

“I appreciate that, General,” Kes said, leaning into Shara. “If there’s a more private place you’d rather we go, we can.”

Han shook his head and hefted the case of fruit into his arms. “No. Knock yourselves out. Just—clean up any messes when you’re done.”

“Yes, sir.” He saluted Han and then returned his attention back to his wife. Leia watched them a moment while she balanced the wine in one hand and the mallet with the other. She couldn’t help hoping Han would look at her the way Kes looked at Shara.

As she walked back into the hallway, he was a few paces behind her, looking back to meet her gaze. In that moment she realized Han already looked at her that way.

She followed her General back out to the lounge. A few of the crew had found holonovels to their liking and were flipping holo screens. Everyone else looked bored. “We were apparently given food by the ewoks. Share the wine, and enjoy the fruit,” Leia said, setting the mallet down on the dejarik table. Han set his box next to it.

Everyone cheered, and three of the crew snatched the leather pouch from Leia all at once. Han laughed, wrapped his arm back around her shoulders, and took them back to the cockpit.

Chewie was in the middle of a hyperdrive sequence, ready to activate it. He howled with delight when the stars around them turned into white streaks as they zipped back into hyperspace. “See?” Han said, wrapping both arms around Leia. “Just had to let her cool down.”

“Yeah, yeah. You got lucky, fly boy.” She grinned and leaned in for a kiss, rubbing his shoulders.

In that moment, a mallet made contact with a fruit, and the lounge broke out in a chorus of gagging and sour groans. “What the hell, Solo?” Wedge yelled.

Han simply laughed, closed the cockpit door to keep out the stench, and kissed Leia again.


End file.
